Actress Bobette Riales has become the fifth woman to accuse actor Danny Masterson of rape.
Last Wednesday, Riales alleged that the That 70’s Show star “repeatedly raped” her while they were dating in the early 2000s. “I stayed quiet long enough. Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me,” she wrote on Twitter. “All I seek is justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else, as it has for some time. My truth will be heard.”
Masterson has been in the public eye for several alleged rapes since March of this year when journalist Tony Ortega wrote on “The Underground Bunker” that the LAPD was investigating him because of three rape allegations. In Ortega’s piece, he claimed that the allegations surfaced during the filming of “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,” when one of the accusers shared her story with Remini.
A fourth accuser, Chrissie Bixler, came forward in November. Bixler alleged that when she reported her rape to the Church of Scientology (which they were both a part of at the time), she was told that she couldn’t have been raped by a man she was in a relationship with and that, “Danny Masterson is a celebrity. He flourishes and prospers in life. You protect that and reward that.” The church has denied these allegations, and allegations that they have been interfering in the ongoing investigation against Masterson.
After enormous public pressure, Masterton was let go from his position on Netflix comedy “The Ranch.” On December 5th, the company released a statement saying that they decided to write him off “after discussing with the producers.” Matherson responded by saying that he was “very disappointed” in the decision that Netflix had made and that he denied “the outrageous allegations” against him.
“In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused,” he said. “In the meantime, I want to express my gratitude to the cast and crew that I’ve worked so closely with over the past three seasons. I wish them nothing but success.” Masterson has not commented on Riales’ allegations against him.
After her tweet alleging that Masterson had raped her, Riales wrote another tweet in support of Bixler. “I applaud her strength as well. @ChrissieBixler,” she wrote, with the hashtags #metoo and #sisters. Bixler tweeted back, “You are amazing. I’m so proud of you. He will never do this to another human being ever again. He’s a thief in the night, but he overlooked some incredibly valuable things we still possess. Our voice.”
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